The Seattle Seahawks know a thing or two about unhappy players. This also does not go back to the Legion of Boom days when safety Earl Thomas liked to spout about not liking his contract, and cornerback Richard Sherman wanted to espouse whatever his views were. Seattle has had to deal with team culture issues this offseason.
Quarterback Geno Smith and wide receiver DK Metcalf both requested to be traded. It has been reported that Metcalf had also requested to be traded in previous offseasons. In other words, he has been unhappy for quite some time. A disgruntled player tends not to be as productive as he would be if he were satisfied with his situation.
So, what did Seattle do? They traded both Metcalf and Smith this offseason, and now the hope is that their key replacements, quarterback Sam Darnold and receiver Cooper Kupp, can put up numbers somewhat similar to those of the former Seahawks.
Seattle Seahawks should look into what a trade for Trey Hendrickson would cost
A player who is unhappy with their current situation and not a member of the Seattle Seahawks is Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. In back-to-back seasons, the 30-year-old Hendrickson has had 17.5 sacks. He has produced at least 13.5 sacks each year in four of the last five seasons.
Still, the Bengals do not want to sign him to an extension. Maybe Cincy cannot, as they have now committed to paying vast amounts of money to wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase over the next several years. Hendrickson, whose contract ends after the 2025 season, could easily be looking for a new home in 2026.
Bengals owner Katie Blackburn said at the NFL owners meeting this week that Hendrickson should simply be happy to be a Bengal.
She said, "I think he should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think he'd be happy at. I think some of it is on him to be happy at some point, and if he's not, you know, that's what holds it up sometimes. So, you know, it takes him to say yes to something, and also, we have all the respect in the world for him...And so maybe we'll find a way to get something to work. We're just gonna see where it goes."
Hendrickson was not happy with Blackburn's remarks. In an interview on the Pat McAfee Show, the edge rusher said, "Those comments from Katie Blackburn were definitely disappointing & communication has been poor over the last couple of months... (I) don't have any desire to be the highest paid, and we've tried to be as patient as possible (in getting a contract done with Cincinnati)."
Seahawks general manager John Schneider should consider seeing what Hendrickson is worth in a trade. He is not overly expensive this season as his cap hit is around $15 million. Seattle will have the money to sign him up for an extension. Adding Hendrickson to an already good Seattle defense could make the unit elite.
Seattle clearly hopes to win with defense in 2025 based on its offseason moves. Why not offer something to the Bengals for Hendrickson? The Seahawks have the draft capital and cap room to do it. There is no harm in asking.
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